A £209,000-per-week player has set his sights on joining Arsenal with the Emirates Stadium being his ideal landing spot.
Arsenal targeting new striker for Arteta this summer
Edu and Mikel Arteta have set their sights on a natural number nine, as they seek to bolster the forward area among other positions in the squad.
Arsenal ready £21 million bid for player after claims he's agreed to join
There’s been a recent whisper he’s eyeing a move to north London.
ByEmilio Galantini
The Gunners scored 90-plus goals in the Premier League, narrowly missing out on their first title in 20 years to Pep Guardiola's imperious Man City side. Strikes came from all over the pitch, with Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard and Kai Havertz scoring a combined 51 between them in all competitions.
Arteta has done very well coping without a guaranteed 20-plus-goals-per-season striker, but it is believed the Spaniard is aiming to change that when the window reopens on June 14.
Bukayo Saka
20
Leandro Trossard
17
Kai Havertz
14
Martin Odegaard
11
Gabriel Jesus
8
Many interesting names have been linked, with RB Leipzig ace Benjamin Sesko and Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee attracting Arsenal interest, alongside more marquee options like Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres and Napoli's Victor Osimhen.
The latter's release clause stands at around £113 million to prise away from the Stadio Diego Armando Maradana stadium, but the Nigerian's exceptional goalscoring numbers over the last few years in Serie A indicate he'd be a worthwhile investment. Arsenal are apparently contenders for Osimhen, as explained by journalist Ben Jacobs to GiveMeSport earlier this year.
“We still can't rule out Arsenal in the race for Osimhen," said Jacobs.
"It’s also true that PSG have Osimhen very, very high on their list of targets and can move in the market because they will free up money due to Kylian Mbappe’s departure. I'm still told by sources that Osimhen’s priority is the Premier League, which is encouraging for Chelsea and Arsenal. He would be looking for about £250,000 per week, which Arsenal, Chelsea and PSG would all be happy to pay.”
On a reported £209,000-per-week at the moment, Osimhen would become one of Arsenal's top five highest-paid players in the event he joins, but the real sticking point will of course be his release clause.
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is a famously tough negotiator, so Edu will have a lot of work to do if he wishes to negotiate a fee lower than Osimhen's £113 million clause.
Victor Osimhen wants to join Arsenal this summer
Luckily, it doesn't appear like Arsenal will run into trouble on the player's side.
Indeed, according to journalist Valter Di Maggio, speaking on Radio Kiss Kiss Napoli, it is believed Osimhen would like to join Arsenal this summer, but has Saudi Arabia as an alternative if a move to north London cannot happen.
"Osimhen wants the Premier League," said Di Maggio.
"If the offer doesn't arrive, he would consider the Arab one. There is no club that pays the clause today. Osimhen would like Arsenal, otherwise he would consider Saudi Arabia."